Early National America: 1790-1850 (Discovering U.S. History)

McNeese, Tim

ISBN 10: 1604133511 ISBN 13: 9781604133516

Publisher: Chelsea House Publications, 2010

When George Washington took the reins of the presidency in 1789, the United States was little more than a youthful republic largely populated by farmers who could not imagine their country extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. But within three generations, the nation stretched across the continent, reliant on steam power and machines to connect its people. The idea of democracy had been redefined, and cities had sprung up across the landscape, planted in the wake of tens of thousands of Americans moving west. The United States experienced two large-scale wars and a scattering of Indian conflicts; the country had witnessed the births and deaths of several political parties, but had emerged stronger and more nationalistic than ever. Reformers had retooled the nation's spiritual energies, and those who followed the lure of rich land in Oregon or golden riches in California had carried the American flag all the way to the western ocean. Early National America: 1790-1850 explains how the first formative years of the country's existence shaped the nation we know today.

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About the Author:

Tim McNeese is a political historian and lecturer. Samuel Willard Crompton is a writer and biographer.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5-8–These overviews open with dramatic accounts of events, such as the Lewis and Clark expedition and the sinking of the USS Maine, which were emblematic of their time periods. McNeese then discusses the people, politics, economic conditions, and foreign affairs of each era, objectively explaining how the attitudes, perceptions, and expectations of the American people and their leaders shaped the development of the country. He wisely does not attempt to cover everything that happened during each period, instead concentrating on its most prominent people and events and providing enough background information and detail to help readers understand the time and its importance. Sidebars, some lengthy, provide additional information about various topics, and each book includes an extensive chronology. Surprisingly, there are no source notes. Average-quality, color period art and photos, maps, and cutaway drawings supplement the texts. Although these books are informative, they often read like expanded chapters in history texts, and they have an advanced vocabulary. They will work well as complements to Debatable Issues in U.S. History (Greenwood, 2004), a similarly arranged set that covers much of the same material but emphasizes the often-contentious debates about the most important issues of each time period. Solid additional choices for report writers.Mary Mueller, formerly at Rolla Junior High School, MO
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